The socialist transport workers union BTB-ABVV has once again published a black book on Belgian motorway parking areas. “Unsafe, inadequate, and uncomfortable” is the conclusion of the 11th review, which examined more than 50 parking areas in Belgium and abroad.
“It’s high time that policymakers, employers, and clients take responsibility,” says Tom Peeters, deputy federal secretary of BTB Road Transport and Logistics.
Safety problem
The black book summarizes what is going wrong and what is missing. The figures on safety, for example, especially at night, are striking. Only one-fifth of the drivers surveyed say they never feel unsafe when using motorway parking areas.
The lack of space and comfort in the parking areas, as well as the limited availability of showers and toilets, and the scarcity of healthy and varied food options, are also recurring issues.
Eight policy recommendations are also formulated. Among other things, the union calls for a federal master plan for truck parking areas, basic facilities, and a safe environment with social control at every highway parking area.
Additionally, drivers must comply with European rules regarding long rest periods. This means that hotel facilities must also be provided, which requires support in terms of regulations, specifications, and funding.
Another recommendation is to certify Belgian parking facilities in accordance with European SSPA standards and implement real-time parking information throughout Belgium.
Belgian parking areas score poorly
According to the report, most of the hundreds of Belgian parking areas do not meet the minimum criteria for safety, comfort, and service. This is often downright frightening, especially for female drivers or those from outside the EU, as only 3% of the 430 survey participants were women.
For example, only three car parks in Belgium are certified according to the official SSPA standards: Goordijk, Ketenislaan, and Circle K Jabbeke. However, according to the trade union, only the latter deserves this label, as the other two have been identified as social dumping car parks.
Access to European subsidies for parking infrastructure is also underutilized. Europe is making 25,8 billion euros available for the development of transport infrastructure projects through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) fund. But because Belgium is submitting few initiatives and is not sufficiently committed to certification, opportunities for co-financing high-quality rest areas are being missed.
“The Flemish government has just implemented yet another increase in the kilometer charge, so it’s time to use this budget for what it is intended: better infrastructure and facilities for the transport sector,” says Frank Moreels, chairman of BTB.
He points out that the situation at many rest areas remains substandard and that the gap with leading European locations is significant and will continue to grow as long as there is no ambitious federal master plan.
Finally, BTB also examined the most critical truck parking apps. With a score of 8/10, Truckfly by Michelin, TRAVIS Driver, and Trucks’n B scored the highest, followed by LKW.App and Intruck (SNAP), both with a 7/10 score.
